I bought the car in 1995, and run it like a driver for the 95 summer. In the winter with mostly no money I remove the engine and fix a valve problem, clean and paint the engine, and engine bay. Put the engine back and run it like that until 2005. I rebuilt the engine with my wife in 2005 quickly for the my friend's wedding. In 2006 in august, a valve failure occur, on the #6 cylinder, I have to fix that problem and an other one. In the spring 2006 I found (the other problem) a big hole in the frame. The hole was invisible before, because the previous owner patch with sheet metal, rivet and a good layer of tar. The road dust help after to make look good the frame.
Since I knowing the frame so bad (I have check the entire frame, and found other weird tar fix), I decide to change the frame.
I source a good frame in Kelowna in BC, pick up this frame on vacation trip with my family and my old Lumina in 2007. The car was completly dissasemble beginning on sept 2006.
When I put the new frame in the garage beside the rusty one I found a huge difference betwee the two frame, for me 49-54 frame where identical but I discover it was not. 49-52 are the same, and 53-54 are both unique.
I invite a friend who make some job for me (steel and machining) and I ask him what he 's thinking about the problem. After a while I take the frame and ship it to his shop for "reform" it like the 53-54 one.
At my home while the frame is out of my garage, I rebuilt the steer axle, the diff, the master cylinder, emptied the body.
I ship the body shell to a bodyman, and begin to work on last year, and after a while, he blow a fuse and hit the body with a steel bar, and make it worst than when it came in is shop...The paint was not applied, but it was over for him, in a rush last may, I take the body shell and put in my friend's shop waiting for a new bodyman. I found a new one, but for now I have to wait to sold my house in Drummonville. I bought a new one in St-Hyacinthe and I have to wait for money for make the project go forward again.
The frame is almost completed, some hour of work (I work on and my friend help me) and the job will be complete for the frame correction.
Sorry for error in the text I'm not too familiar with english writing.
Your are mostly up to date.
-- Edited by Fitz at 18:21, 2009-02-04
Fitz said
Feb 1, 2009
It's crazy, the picture went side by side when on the "show preview", they where one over the other, I'll wait for help before posting new one.
What I've done incorrectly??
Fitz.
4SPEED427 said
Feb 1, 2009
I don't know if you are using Photobucket to post but if so, I always hit "enter" after each link is posted. Is that it?
Fitz said
Feb 1, 2009
I use the post picture kit with the "attach image" section. I use all the 9 or 10 lines and hit the button below only once for all the picture.
Fitz.
Canadian Poncho said
Feb 1, 2009
You have to hit return after posting the picture or they will go side by side..
Stephenzone said
Feb 1, 2009
looks good. lots of fun eh. keep up the good work. i have torque tube rearend out of a 52 gmc in my trailer looks the same
4SPEED427 said
Feb 1, 2009
69Laurentian wrote:
You have to hit return after posting the picture or they will go side by side..
Can he go into his original post, hit edit and make them stack up?
I always use photobucket so I am not familiar with using this site to load them.
Fitz said
Feb 2, 2009
69Laurentian wrote:
You have to hit return after posting the picture or they will go side by side..
I try to find "return'', but I hit the "back" button and I lost the all the page, I need to work on...
Fitz.
OK I think it work now...
Rolilk said
Feb 2, 2009
Andre..
Nice work and great to see the history of you car. I am going to keep mine as driver for a few summers yet I think. Then I'm going to pull it apart and redo from the frame up. So I'm very curious as to what you run into as problems along the way.
Fitz said
Feb 3, 2009
stay tuned!
since I found the problem for posting many picture at a time I'll post other picture for detail the story.
Fitz.
Fitz said
Feb 4, 2009
there is some picture of the disassembly of the car.
Fitz.
-- Edited by Fitz at 18:20, 2009-02-04
Fitz said
Feb 4, 2009
there is some other picture of the steer axle, it is ready to install, but I don't have frame right now to put on....soon I will
-- Edited by Fitz at 18:38, 2009-02-04
-- Edited by Fitz at 18:40, 2009-02-04
59poncho said
Feb 4, 2009
looking great. i wish i could do the same,just dont have the room. I think i will drive it for the next 4-5 yrs and then do a resto like you are doing. At that time i should be in mexico and wont have to worry about weather or room to do the resto. Have any tips? Are you just useing varsol to clean that part with the brush?
Fitz said
Feb 4, 2009
not really varsol, some kind of part cleaner. Don't smell very good, but look like varsol anyway. Now I'm moving, and I'll refill my cleaner tank with varsol for the next time.
For tips, just ask, if I could help...
Fitz.
Rolilk said
Feb 4, 2009
How bad is the body? I can find the innner and outter rockers but to find as they call them the frame braces or body brackets is a hard one to get..So far I have not found any..I will most likely get them fab'd up to fit and look close to the originals. I think 57 poncho has the chassis book on our cars and he gave me some part numbers to follow up on. He might be of some help in looking up numbers if you dont have that book.
Rod
Fitz said
Feb 4, 2009
The body is mostly bad, all the outer brace are shot. They are not reproduce for now, but EMS plan to make them, they have 49-52, but not 53-54. there is some picture of the underbody.
I will have to get a few shots of mine from under. Maybe this weekend. I can post them once I have something. For mine it seems odd some of them are perfect and some are totally gone?
Rolilk said
Feb 4, 2009
Sorry for my ingnorance who is EMS?
427carl said
Feb 4, 2009
EMS is a Ambulance driver
Fitz said
Feb 4, 2009
there is the link, hope will help. You have to use for sheet metal chevrolet 53-54
On my Pontiac too, some brace are gone, and some don't. Mostly on the outside, the brace are gone, and those inside are OK.
Fitz.
Thanks for the link Andre.
speelman1958 said
Feb 5, 2009
I nicely had my body guy replace doglegs and braces... he did a great job. Being a parts guy by day, he even found the right parts for me!
Rolilk said
Feb 6, 2009
Yah I can find the braces for a tri five and later but its the 53/54 thing..I have even thought of buying some for a 55 and modify. It just seems these cars were just not that popular to restore or customize..So these are one of the few that have a bit harder time to find nice OEM looking stuff. But they are now just starting to make more and more parts for these years. Thats a good thing for me.
I bought the car in 1995, and run it like a driver for the 95 summer. In the winter with mostly no money I remove the engine and fix a valve problem, clean and paint the engine, and engine bay. Put the engine back and run it like that until 2005. I rebuilt the engine with my wife in 2005 quickly for the my friend's wedding. In 2006 in august, a valve failure occur, on the #6 cylinder, I have to fix that problem and an other one. In the spring 2006 I found (the other problem) a big hole in the frame. The hole was invisible before, because the previous owner patch with sheet metal, rivet and a good layer of tar. The road dust help after to make look good the frame.
Since I knowing the frame so bad (I have check the entire frame, and found other weird tar fix), I decide to change the frame.
I source a good frame in Kelowna in BC, pick up this frame on vacation trip with my family and my old Lumina in 2007. The car was completly dissasemble beginning on sept 2006.
When I put the new frame in the garage beside the rusty one I found a huge difference betwee the two frame, for me 49-54 frame where identical but I discover it was not. 49-52 are the same, and 53-54 are both unique.
I invite a friend who make some job for me (steel and machining) and I ask him what he 's thinking about the problem. After a while I take the frame and ship it to his shop for "reform" it like the 53-54 one.
At my home while the frame is out of my garage, I rebuilt the steer axle, the diff, the master cylinder, emptied the body.
I ship the body shell to a bodyman, and begin to work on last year, and after a while, he blow a fuse and hit the body with a steel bar, and make it worst than when it came in is shop...The paint was not applied, but it was over for him, in a rush last may, I take the body shell and put in my friend's shop waiting for a new bodyman. I found a new one, but for now I have to wait to sold my house in Drummonville. I bought a new one in St-Hyacinthe and I have to wait for money for make the project go forward again.
The frame is almost completed, some hour of work (I work on and my friend help me) and the job will be complete for the frame correction.
Sorry for error in the text I'm not too familiar with english writing.
Your are mostly up to date.
-- Edited by Fitz at 18:21, 2009-02-04
What I've done incorrectly??
Fitz.
Fitz.
I always use photobucket so I am not familiar with using this site to load them.
Fitz.
OK I think it work now...
since I found the problem for posting many picture at a time I'll post other picture for detail the story.
Fitz.
there is some picture of the disassembly of the car.
Fitz.
-- Edited by Fitz at 18:20, 2009-02-04
there is some other picture of the steer axle, it is ready to install, but I don't have frame right now to put on....soon I will
-- Edited by Fitz at 18:38, 2009-02-04
-- Edited by Fitz at 18:40, 2009-02-04
not really varsol, some kind of part cleaner. Don't smell very good, but look like varsol anyway. Now I'm moving, and I'll refill my cleaner tank with varsol for the next time.
For tips, just ask, if I could help...
Fitz.
Fitz.
http://www.emsautomotive.com/
On my Pontiac too, some brace are gone, and some don't. Mostly on the outside, the brace are gone, and those inside are OK.
Fitz.